Fragrant Nature Film Creations is making its first foray into international acquisitions, acquiring the Indian rights to the Oscar-nominated French animated feature Little Amelie, or the Rain Character, from Paris-based Goodfellas Animation.
The Kochi, Kerala-based banner has acquired all Indian rights to the film, except for airlines, which marks the launch of a dedicated sourcing and distribution arm for the company.
The production from Maybe Movies and Ikki Films, helmed by Mairis Valade and Lian Cho Hung, is based on the novel “Métaphysique des tubes” by Amelie Norton. The film succumbed to Cannes and received Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe, Annie, and Critics’ Choice Award nominations in the animated feature category. It also won the Audience Award at Annecy.
Variety magazine’s review of the film said, “This look and feel is clearly indebted to Studio Ghibli’s beloved films, which have provided some of the most iconic representations of wartime Japan and its long and difficult recovery period.” “Little Amelie begins in a place of (mostly endearing) solipsism and builds empathy and emotional depth as it progresses.”
The acquisition was brokered by FNFC’s in-house team consisting of Riya Rajiv, director of film operations, Sidharth S. Nair, sales and acquisitions coordinator, and Jason Bressand of Goodfellas Animation on the sales side.
Anne Sajeev, Managing Director and Producer at FNFC, said: “This acquisition represents a strategic step for us in building a curated international footprint alongside our production pipeline.” “We believe there is huge potential for high-quality global animation in the Indian market.”
“Little Amelie” will be released in India for the first time on February 22 at Animera, an Indian animation festival hosted by Annecy, at Whistling Woods International in Mumbai, followed by a wider national release.
FNFC, known for producing the drama ‘Pranayam’ (2011) starring Mohanlal and Anupam Kher and the crime film ‘Golam’ (2024), is currently in post-production on the vampire action film ‘Half’ (2026) starring Ranjith Sajeev, Aiswarya Raj and Amala Paul. Further acquisition announcements are expected in the coming months.
